How to hang up art photographs

Some advices to hang up your art photography: 

Which system should you choose? 

There is two type of solutions to hang your art photography:

You can use a screw or a hook for a basic hang.

You should worry about the weight of the work you want to hang and also the type of wall you want to drill.

A nail can be enough if your frame is not heavy.   

For a better resistance, a tip would be to not drive the nail straight in the wall, but to drive it downwards.

If you have a heavier frame, you should use a screw or a hook with the rawlplugs adapted to your wall : brick, rock, plasterboard…

The picture rail is usually used in museums and galleries. It’s the perfect system if you think you  will change the work exhibited quite often. Discreet and modern, you just have to fix a runner at the top of your wall and then you can exhibit as many photography as you want without making any damage to your wall.

How to protect your art photography?

The materials used to make the paper and the frame are really resistant nowadays and make sure the photography you buy will have a long life. To protect your work, you must know some simple conservation rules. 

There are tree main elements making your art age quicker.

The light: 

Photography is one of the most sensitive medium when in contact with artificial or natural light. 

The ultraviolet and infra-red light are, even if we can’t see them, the origin of many degradations, oxidations or yellowing.  

So you should not expose your photo to the direct sunlight or moonlight. If you prefer a natural light, keep the work far from the window or use some blinds or curtains.

The safest solution is artificial light. It must be under 90 watt, low heat, low ultraviolet and infra-red emission. The LED light is the better alternative.

You can use some professional glass for the frame. It will protect the photography from heat and harmful light. 

Your gallery or your framer should suggest it to you during your purchase. 

The heat:

Generally, you should avoid any source of intense temperature. 

You should have your photography away from heating, fireplace, or air conditioner. The top of a fireplace seem to be the perfect place to expose a piece of art, but it is actually dangerous for the art-piece when used.

The best solution is keeping a stable temperature around 20° c (68° F).

The humidity:

It’s the last point to control. It can be really dangerous for a photography to be exposed to high humidity levels. 

It can ruin the support and make paper crinkle. If the exposition is too long you may see appear rings which can become mould and be irreversible.

So, putting your photography around water or steam is heavily not recommended.

Depending on your environment, the humidity level can be hard to control. A humidity and temperature meter disposed close to the photography can help that control.

It will be easier to control if you expose your photography under glass. You can use a silica gel or other buffer materials, those are going to fix the humidity level to average.